Rigby Heads to the Vet

As I think I've mentioned before in the blog, Rigby has allergies and I've had him on a lot of supplements and a simple diet with one protein (fish) and one carbohydrate (sweet potatoes.) He was doing great and had less inflammation but his feet and ears were still bugging him. I was thinking we might need a trip to the vet and then Rigby sealed the deal - he leaped up and stole a piece of chicken treat out of my hand that was for another dog. Within about an hour I noticed the rash had started to raise up again and was an angry red color.

I made an appointment at the vet that I use for my dogs with more challenging cases. What I love about the office is they think outside the box, have a holistic approach, and don't jump to a diagnose without really listening to the owner and looking a dog over.

In the waiting area

So off we went. I brought along Rigby's freeze-dried salmon treats to reinforce his bravery at the vet. As expected, even though he wasn't entirely sure about this whole vet thing, Rigby did great and by the time we left the whole staff had to come out to say goodbye and gush over the amazing Rigby.

Time to weigh in: 20.4 pounds; he probably could stand to lose another 1/2 to 1 pound

After talking with Dr. Aja, our vet that day, she decided to use both Western and Eastern medicine to move forward. A quick round of steroids to calm down his reaction to that chicken that he just can't seem to beat - and then an antibiotic to clear up the secondary skin infection he has from all the scratching and licking of his rash. We'll also be using the Dermagic Skin Rescue shampoo bar for regular baths and some yeast he has on his feet and groin. She prescribed what is called a "cooling diet" meaning he needs to avoid things like chicken, lamb, and grains. She likes everything I had been doing with him - food choices, salve, fish oil, etc.  but said that sometimes there is so much secondary skin stuff going on that you have to get that under control and then maintain the health with the careful diet and supplements.

Waiting on the table while the vet checks the slide for yeast, fungus, bacteria, etc.

Anyone adopting Rigby needs to really look at themselves honestly and decide if they are a person who does a lot of extra feeding and treating off their own plates. For Rigby's long term health he needs a human committed to making sure he eats the right things (and doesn't get access to the wrong things). Because round after round of steroids will be so hard on his liver and that is what he'll need if his humans aren't careful about what he eats. It's not that it's tough to do - but some people really equate love with food and that kind of person won't be a good fit for Mr. Rigs.

Showing off his beautiful "sit-stay" while I get his medication and pay the bill

So that's what we are doing. Wish him luck. Rigby says "the chicken theft was totally worth it, though."